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The Best Bug Repellents to Keep Pests Away

The Camping List Review Team
Written By The Camping List Review Team
Last updated: Mar 31, 2025, 02:19 PM
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Bug Repellents

Bug repellents are a great way to keep you and your family safe from pesky bug bites. The best bug repellent will be EPA-approved, have a nice even spray, and effectively keep bugs at bay. Common ingredients you’ll find in bug spray include DEET, Picaridin, Citronella oil, Eucalyptus oil, and Catnip oil. After our research, we chose the Ranger Ready Bug Repellent as our number one choice because it has no unpleasant scent and an extremely effective 20% Picaridin-based formula. 

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Our Top Picks

The Best Bug Repellents of 2025

Ranger Ready Bug Repellent

Best Overall
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Ranger Ready is my favorite insect repellent for the muggy summer and fall seasons. The most important thing to consider with bug spray is effective and unscented protection. I applied Ranger Ready before an outdoor picnic on the grass. After 6 hours, I noticed zero new bug bites – and I’m particularly susceptible. I concentrated four sprays on each of my ankles, and it really worked!

Not only did it deter mosquitos, but I found it completely unscented. Well, at first when the spray is wet, you can smell it slightly. But once it’s dry, 10-20 seconds, you won’t smell anything. It didn’t leave a sticky feeling on my skin either. Overall, it’s a great option.

Product Pros
  • No bug bites after 6 hours of application
  • No lasting smell
  • No grease or residue
Product Cons
  • A bit pricey

Repel Bug Repellant

Eucalyptus Oil Option
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This Repel Bug Repellant is a plant-based repellant made with lemon eucalyptus oil. It’s mainly designed to repel mosquitoes, but it works well on other insects as well. Being a DEET-free repellant (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), this spray also keeps your skin protected from harsh chemicals, and its all-natural formula provides long-lasting protection. This bug repellant comes in a small spray bottle, making it easy to carry around and take on camping trips to keep those pesky insects away. Offering six hours of bite-free protection, you can enjoy a good night’s sleep outdoors or a fun day hiking the trails. Thanks to its portable packaging and skin-friendly formula, this bug repellant bags the top spot on our list.

Product Pros
  • Safe, plant-based ingredients
  • Offers long-lasting protection against bugs
  • Lack of DEET makes it skin-friendly
Product Cons
  • Has a strong lemon smell

OFF! Bug Repellant

Easy to Use
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If you’re looking for a more potent bug spray with a mild concentration of DEET, give the OFF! Bug Repellant a try. With a subtle lemon fragrance and 25% DEET formula, this repellant works wonders to keep bugs away and it comes in an aerosol spray bottle that makes it easy to use. Since this bug repellant contains DEET, you may want to be careful while spraying it. It has a quick-drying formula that won’t feel greasy after you apply it, and you can use it both inside and outside — just make sure you properly ventilate the indoor space after use.

Product Pros
  • Easy-to-use spray container
  • Protects against various bugs
  • Non-oily, non-greasy formula
Product Cons
  • Excessive use may leave a white residue

Murphy’s Naturals Bug Repellant

Long-lasting Protection
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Murphy’s Naturals Bug Repellant has a plant-based formula that features lemon eucalyptus as its primary ingredient. This DEET-free repellant contains 30% lemon eucalyptus oil and 70% deionized water mixed with corn ethanol, and this formula offers maximum protection against bugs without using any harsh chemicals. All the ingredients in this bug repellant are naturally sourced, making it environmentally friendly and sustainable. It doesn’t use any synthetic fragrances or dyes, and you won’t have to worry about getting it on any of your equipment when you’re out on the trail as it won’t cause any damage. Even better? The manufacturer states that this is the only plant-based bug repellant that the CDC recommends.

Product Pros
  • All-natural, plant-based formula
  • Compact, easy-to-carry packaging
  • Safe DEET-free formula
Product Cons
  • May have a strong smell initially

Sawyer Products Picaridin Bug Repellant

Budget-friendly
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For a lotion-like consistency, the Sawyer Products Picaridin Bug Repellant works great. This is a highly effective bug repellant that uses picaridin as its primary ingredient, and unlike DEET, picaridin is safer to use on the skin and also won’t damage plastic or synthetic coatings. You can apply this bug repellant directly to your skin like a lotion and keep nasty insects away for about 12 to 14 hours. Besides using it on the skin, this bug repellant can also be applied to clothing without causing any sort of fading. It has a non-greasy formula that helps it absorb into the skin without feeling oily, and with its subtle, citrusy smell it’s not overwhelming either.

Product Pros
  • Repels a variety of insects with picaridin
  • Safe for skin, clothes, and gear
  • Offers great protection with a single application
Product Cons
  • Some might find the quantity insufficient

Sawyer Products Bug Repellant

Great Outdoor Coverage
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The Sawyer Products Permethrin Bug Repellant is a heavy-duty bug repellant that’s perfect for outdoor use. You can use this premium bug spray to protect your camping gear, and it provides long-lasting protection for up to six weeks. With its strong formula, this repellant can be used to kill mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and over 55 other kinds of insects. Although it’s a powerful bug repellant, this spray won’t harm the surfaces you spray it with. This means your clothes, tents, or any plastic items won’t be stained after using this spray, and you can use it to treat at least five outfits for complete insect protection so the whole family can enjoy the great outdoors.

Product Pros
  • Permethrin protects against stubborn insects
  • Features an unscented formula
  • Ideal for outdoor activities
Product Cons
  • This repellant isn’t pet-friendly

Finding Your Next Bug Repellant: A Buyer’s Guide

A powerful bug repellant creates a protective shield around you so you don’t suffer any bug bites or, worse, contract any insect-borne diseases. If you’re confused about choosing the right one for your needs, read this buying guide to understand the world of bug repellants and find a great one in 2025.

Factors to Consider

Longevity

A bug repellant needs to be durable and long-lasting — it’s not a good choice if it doesn’t offer at the very least a few hours of protection against insects and mosquitoes. For an insect repellant to be long-lasting, it needs to have a good concentration of its active ingredients.

Optimum coverage

If you use insect repellants when going outdoors, you need a wide-range repellant to maximize your protection against bugs. Depending on a repellant’s ingredients, you can get different types of coverage. Liquid repellants usually offer better coverage than aerosol sprays.

Safe ingredients

While you need a powerful repellant to get rid of nasty bugs, you don’t want to overexpose yourself to harsh chemicals. A lot of bug repellants contain DEET and other ingredients that can be harmful to your skin and the environment. Look for repellants with natural or milder chemical ingredients for increased safety.

Types of Bug Repellants

Natural repellants

Some plants act as natural bug repellants, like citronella, lavender, and lemon eucalyptus, and these ingredients have odors that pests find repulsive. Several bug-repelling products use plant-based concentrated oils to keep bugs at bay, and these plant-based repellants are the safest, making them skin and child-friendly. Due to their mild nature, however, all-natural repellants may not be as effective as chemical repellants.

Chemical-based repellants

As their name suggests, these bug repellants boast chemical compositions. One of the most effective of these chemicals is DEET. Chemical repellants may be superior in terms of the protection they can offer, but they’re likely to carry a side effect or two if used in large amounts.

Common Ingredients Used in Bug Repellants

DEET

DEET is a harsh chemical that provides long-lasting protection against various insects, but using products with DEET concentrations higher than 15 to 30% can cause adverse side effects.

Picaridin

Picaridin is a synthetic bug repellant designed to mimic a naturally occurring compound found in black pepper plants. Using a bug repellant with a 5 to 20% concentration of picaridin is sufficient to keep insects away.

Lemon eucalyptus oil

This oil is refined from a naturally occurring compound extracted from the gum eucalyptus plant. It’s safe and skin-friendly, but it doesn’t offer as much protection as chemicals do.

Benefits of Using Bug Repellants

Avoid bites and bumps

Bug bites can be painful and annoying. If an insect or a mosquito bites you, your skin will become red, itchy, and bumpy. When you scratch these sites, they may inflame, causing more discomfort. By using a bug repellant, you can protect yourself against bumps and bites from pesky bugs whenever you go outdoors.

Anti-allergic

A seemingly harmless mosquito bite can lead to a serious skin allergy if you have hypersensitive skin. Due to a severe allergic reaction, you may experience anaphylaxis or excessive swelling of the site. To save yourself from a trip to the emergency room, create a protective barrier around your skin by using bug-repellant sprays and lotions.

Prevent diseases

Some insects can be poisonous or carry deadly viruses — when they bite you, you may contract a viral infection, leading to life-threatening conditions. You don’t have to worry about diseases when you use bug repellants, as many offer top-notch protection against such things.

People Also Asked

What is the strongest bug repellant ingredient?

N,N-Diethyl-meta-toluamide, also known as DEET or diethyltoluamide, is considered the most powerful bug repellant ingredient. It is a harsh chemical, though, so you should apply it in moderate amounts.

Are bug repellants safe?

The safety of a bug repellant depends on the ingredients it uses. If it has a higher concentration of chemicals, you should avoid using it regularly. Look for repellants with milder ingredients that are also skin-friendly.

Should you go outside after spraying bug repellant?

Bug repellant sprays may contain harsh chemicals, so it’s better not to breathe the fumes in too much. If you’ve sprayed this solution in a closed room, consider exiting the area for a while to protect yourself.

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